Luke Combs' 'Fast Car' cover can mean more to country music than just a hit single | Hill

The four-day summer country music extravaganza known as the CMA Fest was a birthday present for me.

Last year, I was in Boston for the first time, trying lobster rolls and learning how to say “wicked smart.”

But this year I was at the Nissan Stadium, ready to see the guy who inspired me to shotgun a beer: Luke Combs.

“But longneck ice cold beer never broke my heart,” sang Combs in his hit single “Beer Never Broke My Heart.” And, boy, is he right.

I sat comfortably in my seat after grabbing a Coors Light. Not a making a statement, just the only beer I like. I’m a simple guy.

I almost spat out the sip I took when hearing the lyrics to a song I never thought Combs would sing.

“You got a fast car and I got a ticket to anywhere,” Combs begins to sing while strumming his guitar. “Maybe we make a deal. Maybe together we can get somewhere.”

“Is he really singing ‘Fast Car’ by Tracy Chapman,” I thought to myself.

But in fact he was. And I loved every minute of it.

Weeks later, while taking my daily walk with my dogs, I decided to listen to “Fast Car,” but this time it was by Combs.

Both versions are great, so you won’t hear me say a favorite.

But most important, this cover can open a conversation in country music about representation and how someone’s work is presented.

Why ‘Fast Car’ is special

As of Friday, Combs' cover of “Fast Car” just spent its 14th week on the Billboard Hot 100 list, and its second week in the No. 2 spot.

The beauty of Combs’ discovery of the song showcases the purity of music.

In video posted to Instagram, Comb explains the love for “Fast Car” came from hearing it on the radio while riding with his father in his 1988 Ford F-150.

“There was this one song that really stuck out to me. It was called ‘Fast Car’. That song meant a lot to me since then—for my whole life. I always think about my dad when it comes on and us spending time together.”

After hearing the song, Combs picked up a guitar for the first time so he could learn to play “Fast Car.” And the rest is history.

It should not be lost on us that Combs, a white male country singer, was able to find success using a song by a Black, queer woman about trying to escape the endless cycle of poverty.

Would country music, a majority white industry, accept the song the same way if Chapman was the face of the song?

What this success could mean for country music

This isn’t a criticism of Combs. As I’ve said before, he sings with soul, and has a deep connection to the song.

And Chapman, who wrote the song, is sure to get a big royalty’s paycheck. She also spoke highly of the song’s success.

“I never expected to find myself on the country charts, but I’m honored to be there,” Chapman said in a statement to Billboard. “I’m happy for Luke and his success and grateful that new fans have found and embraced ‘Fast Car.’”

The way this cover song came to be is wholesome, a dad sharing one of his favorite songs with his son. That's great.

But as the industry pushes more diversity on stages and in record labels, this success shows, "Hey, if you're the right person to present this story, that's all that matters.” And in a lot of cases it's a white presenter. That is not a future that will include a lot of diverse voices, frankly.

I want to see Combs and Chapman together on stage performing “Fast Car.” Then, the song won’t just be an homage to his father but show of admiration for the Black woman who gave them that moment.

Hopefully they’ll make a deal.

LeBron Hill is an opinion columnist for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee and the curator of the Black Tennessee Voices newsletter and Instagram account. Feel free to contact him at LHill@gannett.com or 615-829-2384. Find him on Twitter at @hill_bron or Instagram at @antioniohill12.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: This is what Luke Combs' 'Fast Car' hit cover means for country music